2024 Renault Triber Review: Is This Subcompact MPV Still Relevant?

Sometime back, Renault India introduced the 2024 Model Year Triber. One look at it will tell you that it doesn't look any different from the Triber when it was first introduced back in 2019. But take a closer look at the MY2024 Triber and you will see some noticeable updates - a new Stealth Black paint scheme, some rejigged variants, and new features on the inside. But is that enough to keep it relevant?

Well, I believe Renault had an opportunity this time around to make a few more noticeable changes with the Triber (which is almost four years old now) instead of this subtle model year update. So, does it still make sense to buy the 2024 Triber, especially when there’s a new generation planned in a couple of years’ time? Let’s find out.

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2024 Renault Triber Exterior

There’s not a single change on the outside that the model year update brings with it except a new Stealth Black paint scheme. Now this paint surely looks much better in person, especially when compared to the other paint schemes the Triber comes with. It might be because the gloss black paint job hides away some of the design details of this gutsy seven-seater.

But otherwise, you have those familiar-looking projector headlamps, a tiny foot with little overhangs both fore and aft, a boxy profile with an upright tailgate, a roof rail and body cladding for a rugged look and these smart-looking steel wheels with wheel covers that can easily make you mistake it for an alloy wheel.

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2024 Renault Triber Interior

Although there are no major changes on the inside, there are a few noticeable 'feature additions' inside the cabin. First up, it’s the digital driver’s display which is borrowed from the Kiger. It has a large square digital dial in the centre with a digital readout for fuel level and engine temperature on either side. The centre screen does have a Triber silhouette in the centre and a digital tachometer as well. More information shows up on the screen when you use the controls on the steering. Also, in Kiger, this MID is configurable depending on the drive modes, but since there are no drive modes here the digital MID feels a bit redundant.

More change comes in the form of an additional LED cabin lamp which is standard across the range. Adding to the ergonomics in this update is the addition of a driver’s armrest here. Now I have recently spent a lot of time with a car without one and over here the armrest felt like a huge boon. The next new thing is the wireless charging pad in the centre console. Earlier this space was a good space to keep your wallet or knick-knacks, but now with the addition of a charging pad, that space is not as useful as it was before. I think the charging tray should have been integrated into the floating pad above which is a much more convenient place to keep your smartphone. Lastly, the 2024 update has also added a PM2.5 air filter.

I must point out that these feature additions are only seen in the range-topping RXZ trim. We also wish this update had changed a few things inside the cabin. First up, a new crisper and better-responding touchscreen, and second better AC control are a much-needed upgrade.

There are a few more updates made to some variants of the MY24 line-up as well. The RXT variant now gets a rearview camera and a rear wiper, while, the RXL variant gets a rear AC vent. The new feature of rear seatbelt reminder is now standard across the range.

2024 Renault Triber Driving Impressions

Now no changes have been made to the powertrain with this model year update either. You continue to get a 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine making close to 70 bhp and around 96 Nm of peak torque. You can have it either with a five-speed manual or an AMT. Now we have been waiting for a 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine from the Kiger to make its way into the Triber as well. And this 2024 update was a good opportunity for Renault to do so. That engine with the CVT automatic would have helped Triber cover the huge chink in its armour.

You see this 1.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine is good enough for everyday usability if you are one of those unhurried drivers. It has decent drivability in most scenarios but a bit more smoothness and finesse is required when driving in the city and a lot more grunt is necessary to make it a good highway muncher. Right now, it doesn’t have both and the inclusion of turbo engine would have worked brilliantly in its favour. Even the AMT gearbox is slow and dim-witted, a more refined CVT would have made the Triber a perfect all-rounder. But that’s a missed opportunity.

Ever since the Duster, Renault India has figured out the ride quality that’s best suited for the Indian road conditions. With the Triber, that continuous as this MPV manages to take it all roads, or no roads, with great composure. Be it city speeds or highway runs, the ride quality alone is a reason enough to buy the Triber. But the same cannot be said for the Triber’s handling which is slow and far from linear.

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2024 Renault Triber: Does it make sense to buy one?

With this 2024 update, Renault India had a good opportunity to overcome the few shortcomings in the Triber. An update with no design change would have still been understandable, but it could have improved the in-cabin feel a bit. Like the touchscreen and the AC control for instance. Sure its feature loaded for its price, and the new powertrain we are wishing for the Triber would have increased its cost significantly. But Renault is positioning affordability as the key USP of the Triber. It’s the most affordable seven-seater automatic after all.

Overall, the Triber offers a good package for someone looking for a tad extra practicality on a hatchback budget, one who doesn’t want a powerful engine performance but wants space on the inside. And for someone who is looking for a value-for-money quotient. As for waiting for the new-gen Triber, that may or may not rectify all the current-gen’s shortcomings – it’s still some three years away. So until the new one arrives, the 2024 Triber still is a good seven-seater which is practical, easy on the pocket, and has a lot of convenience by its side.